My Shot at Real Python

So this post is not going to be like our regular posts (Sorry for barely posting) but it is going to be a fun read, more akin to a story time. It’s basically about how I got my chance to write for Real Python and how I have become a writer for the platform now. It’s a bit crazy how that happened and I still pinch myself sometimes but it did and I could sing - correction - yodel on a mountain about this opportunity I have been granted.

If you’ve never heard of Real Python and you code in Python, then it must be really cozy under your rock because you never get out, do you? Jokes aside, Real Python has built a reputation. The first time I began learning to code in 2017, I started with Python. I scoured the internet (for the young ones among us, at this time, AI wasn’t that popular). It was almost impossible to escape Real Python and the platform already had a splendid reputation by then. I had used it, in addition to sololearn to learn a lot of the programming basics that kept me hooked and ensured I never gave up. Fast forward to 2019, I was given a boring task of manually completing forms and Real Python came to the rescue again! I learnt about automation and used selenium to speed up the process. My boss was so pleased, however I never got a raise but it’s cool, it’s in the past.

I always loved writing but I never imagined I would write for Real Python. In fact, I figured it was one of those situations where I had to undergo a tedious task of sending samples that aligned with very specific rules. I saw the Real Python ad for writers and with my friends self doubt and imposter syndrome, we went ahead to fill the form. Lucky for me I had started this blog by then so when asked for samples I just handed over the link. Knowing the playful nature of my blog I didn’t think I would be taken seriously but boy was I wrong! Soon after I was invited for an interview and that made me realize something about the platform - there was probably a place there for weirdos like myself. Real Python does not strip away your humanity and make you robotic. Their articles have a playful undertone to them that makes both newbies and experienced devs comfortable while reading on technical concepts. It was the same writing style that attracted me to the site in the first place.

The interview went really well. It was friendly and the atmosphere was warm. My interviewer was approachable and made me feel like a part of the team before I even got an invite to join the club. Being my calm and collected self, I didn’t obsess over details of the questions to ask and was absolutely not nervous which, if you know my tendency for sarcasm may not surprise you. This was especially true since at the same time I was mass job hunting and was never on edge or had the fear of not being accepted. I mean, me? I’m a boss so no way. My interviewer mentioned that he liked my blog and honestly, I shed a tear - internally, of course. There I was blogging because I enjoyed writing and programming and someone took my past time activity as an indication that I may be good at something. I waited a while before the email came stating that my interview was a success, and when it did, I was quite dumbfounded. Around the same time I got hired as a dev for a position and it was quite an incredible December of last year.

Well, after a thorough process (the standard must be maintained of course) today my first Real Python article has been published. I am more than thrilled. To think that I started learning about my first programming concepts on the site and now, I get to teach others just like me on one of the most popular educational platforms in the world is beyond me. It really does show that what you consider “nothing serious“ may just be your ticket to bigger things in the future. So keep writing that code and building those projects, keep writing content and be yourself doing so and just keep doing what you love, except yodeling of course. Don’t do that because you’re probably not good at it unless you are then do!